Ballistic Publishing is excited to launch a large-format fantasy graphic novel based on the Utherworlds universe created by Philip Straub. The ambitious project spanning six years of production tells the tale of Lucas Sellers and his journey into The Realms where the forces of hope are pitted against ultimate evil. Utherworlds combines a fully-fledged novel with written and spoken languages, maps, and stunning paintings with hidden messages that provide layers of detail not seen in other graphic novels.

Utherworlds takes the graphic novel to a new level of presentation with each page of the book covered in paintings and illustrations which immerse you in the quest of Lucas Sellers. The journal-style pages feature ornate parchments and detailed trinkets that draw you into the story and carry meaning that you might only find on the second or third reading.

At 10” x 15”, Utherworlds presents Philip Straub’s artwork like never before. Each painting in the book becomes a matte painting that you peer into rather than simply flick through like a normal book. Each spread of Utherworlds is a visual feast that can be appreciated as beautiful artwork, or studied in combination with the journal entries to find deeper levels of meaning within the story.

A visual journey: a parchment style mimics the lead character's journal,
and every square inch of the book
has been painstakingly illustrated for
the greatest effect

Like all great fantasy stories, Utherworlds is full of exotic characters whose paths entwine across a sweeping backdrop. Lucas Sellers is thrown into a universe that he has no knowledge of, and is protected in his journey by Aadyasha and The Guardian, through the Nightmare and Dream Realms. In his travels, Lucas learns of the languages of Hope and Fear, and how to harness the individual symbols for his own use while battling the minions of Hellzunas.

In creating the Utherworlds universe, Philip Straub set out to map the lands that the story would take place in, so each chapter starts with a detailed map of the lands, and includes descriptions of each location and creature that inhabits those lands. Similarly, the languages of Hope and Fear are fully explained in the book’s introduction with detailed descriptions of the history of each language, and beautiful illustrations of each Hope and Fear symbol.

A fully-developed universe with exotic lands and
characters,
custom languages and an unfolding story.

To complement the Utherworlds book, Phil Straub’s Unity Entertainment company has created an evocative theatrical soundtrack with renowned composer Alan Hewitt including the Utherworlds Theme, and compositions on the major characters and locations of the Dream and Nightmare Realms. An Utherworlds web site also adds another dimension to Phil Straub’s Utherworlds universe with remarkable animations bringing the languages of Hope and Fear to life, and providing a blog and online forums to further develop the Utherworlds story beyond the book.